‘Slippery Pete’ hands first round to Gillard

It might not, on the face of it, seem like such a big deal, but it is. We’re referring here to Labor’s ambush of a process that was meant to deliver a tactical victory to the Coalition, but ended up producing the reverse result.

The Coalition had manoeuvred to have
Harry Jenkins
returned as Speaker of the House of Representatives and was planning a stand-off until Labor was forced to nominate its own candidate, Victorian
Anna Burke
, as Deputy Speaker.

But, in what turned out to be a sleight of hand by Labor, the government nominated Queensland Liberal
Peter Slipper
to be Deputy Speaker, thus blindsiding the opposition.

Clearly, a deal with Slipper – known as ‘slippery Pete’ to his fellow Liberals – had been hatched in advance. This did not amount to “ratting’’ in the accepted sense since Slipper did not change sides, but he handed the government an important tactical victory – 71-78 votes on the deputy speakership.

Why does this all matter?

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It matters for both tactical and psychological reasons. Tactically, it is helpful to Labor to have Slipper in the Speaker’s chair when Jenkins is absent since this would preserve a notional margin of two between a minority government and its opposition on procedural votes.

Let’s refresh memories about numbers in the 43rd Parliament: Labor 72, Coalition 72, rural independents 3, Tasmanian independent one, Greens one and Western Australian National one.

Labor was able to form a minority government, 76-74, with the support of two of three rural independents, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, plus Adam Bandt of the Greens and Tasmanian Andrew Wilkie.

Queensland independent Bob Katter indicated support for the Coalition and so, too, has WA National Tony Crook. The latter will sit on the cross-benches to the disappointment of the Nationals leadership.

But back to Slipper: note, he has given no undertaking to support the government on confidence motions or supply, but his slip-sliding away from his colleagues will have raised doubts in their minds.

This brings us to the psychological: Slipper’s slipperiness has handed Labor an important tactical victory in the first skirmishing of a new parliament that is operating in uncharted waters (we have banned the phrase “new paradigm’’ from this space).

Tony Abbott
was understandably furious and
Christopher Pyne
(manager of opposition business in the House) lost his first battle in the new Parliament with Labor’s
Anthony Albanese
. This was not a good look.

The Opposition Leader and Pyne will have learned that securing the numbers in the new scenario will not turn out to be a predictable exercise. If Abbott and Pyne could not control their numbers in the first critical battle of the new era, it raises questions as to whether they’ll end up losing the war.

How the numbers broke down on the Deputy Speaker’s vote will not be comforting for the opposition. Bear in mind this was a secret ballot and not a show of hands.

On the outcome, it was clear that Slipper voted for his nomination. That produced a 78-71 margin for the Queensland Liberal (Speaker Harry Jenkins did not vote).

This 78 votes would have included 71 Labor votes plus six from the cross-benches, if we assume WA’s Crook voted for Slipper, and Slipper’s own vote.

Of course, it is possible Crook did not vote for Slipper, in which case the latter would have drawn support from a fellow coalition member of parliament. This is conceivable since there were rumblings in the Coalition party room about the tactical decision not to put forward a Deputy Speaker thus allowing Labor to gain an early advantage.

What all this shows is that managing the Parliament in the new era will be like a game of snakes and ladders in which either side is at peril of sliding down a longish snake. Abbott and Pyne slipped down a snake on Tuesday, but Julia Gillard’s and Albanese’s times will come.

In these circumstances, the Coalition could console itself that the costs for Labor of losing tactical battles in the House will be a good deal higher than they are for the opposition. Slipper, by the way, has made it clear his elevation to Deputy Speaker on a Labor nomination does not mean he will be bound to support the government on confidence or supply.

Insofar as we believe Slipper, this is not necessarily good news for Gillard and Albanese.

Tony Walker is a dual Walkley Award winner for commentary and a former political editor